Discover moreCyber Security SolutionsDigital Newspaper AccessHealth Community UpdatesA 33-year-old Harare resident has dragged the City of Harare to court, demanding more than US$24,000 in damages after she fell into an unmarked drainage pit, suffering serious injuries she says have permanently altered her life.
Leocardia Ngonidzashe Mandiwa filed summons at the Harare Civil Magistrates Court accusing the local authority of negligence, arguing its employees "wrongfully and negligently" left a hazardous drain exposed without barricades or warning signs.
The incident occurred on 30 June 2025 near Mabelreign Shopping Centre after Mandiwa disembarked from a commuter omnibus while coming from work in the Central Business District.
According to court papers, the drain approximately 1.8 metres deep was "uncovered and unmarked," making it "reasonably impossible" for her to detect the danger.
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"There were no barricades surrounding the drain and there were also no danger warning signs... to alert road users of the hazard," Mandiwa said in her summons.
She sustained severe injuries, including three broken ribs and a fractured rib that has left her in ongoing pain. "She continues to experience excruciating pain," said her lawyers adding that she had to be pulled out of the drain by passersby.
Mandiwa, a hairdresser who describes herself as a former fitness enthusiast, says she can no longer participate in physical exercise due to the injuries. She is claiming US$24,593 in damages, including compensation for pain and suffering, permanent disfigurement, future medical expenses, loss of income and loss of enjoyment of life.
She argues that the local authority breached its duty of care by creating "a dangerous situation for members of the public" and failing to take reasonable steps to prevent harm.
"The defendant had a statutory duty... to protect members of the public... but breached its duty of care by wrongfully and negligently creating a dangerous situation," she said.
The injuries also had a financial toll. Mandiwa was unable to work for six months, losing US$2,700 in income, while also forfeiting US$1 656 in rentals for business premises she could not use due to hospitalisation.
Represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) through lawyer Tinashe Chinopfukutwa, she is seeking to hold the City accountable for failing to secure the drainage site or warn the public.
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